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The University of York has almost 60 sports clubs but some of these are decidedly more popular than others. During the last week of term I went to a few club training sessions to take a look at some of the less well-known sports that the University has to offer.
One club I visited was Trampolining. Their training sessions are held in the Dance Studio in the University Sports Centre, so I headed down there for their evening session. About 12 people were at the session, which was less than normal due to exams and the end of term. However, this gave the people who had turned up more time on the trampolines.
First all the equipment had to be set up. The club members, dressed in t-shirts and shorts or tracksuit bottoms, set out three trampolines with large gym mats surrounding them to prevent injuries if people fell off. I was reassured that this rarely happened and the usual injuries were just sprains and knocks.
The session started with a warm-up, where people took turns jumping gently on the trampolines, warming up their limbs and muscles. Then they moved onto practise routines, doing jumps such as star-jumps, back-flips and summersaults. Alice, one of the athletes, explained to me that the aim is to stay in the middle of the trampoline and, failing that, just not to fall off!
There is a coach at every session, sometimes even two, to instruct on jumping and technique. Trampolining combines power in your arms and legs, good general fitness and experience to perfect flips and moves. Beginners start by not jumping as high and they have to build up their muscles before attempting the more tricky moves. Some of the more experienced people were doing fantastic flips, and using mats to cushion their landings. There was also synchronised jumping, which looked very complicated but extremely impressive!
As I watched, I talked to Aneika, who had fractured her arm so couldn’t take part, and she told me more about competitions. As you progress and achieve certain jumps, you pass up levels and can enter competitions. You enter a category according to your level and usually perform two routines. One routine is exactly the same for everyone, consisting of jumps chosen by the judges, and is marked on straightness of legs and arms, as well as jumping accuracy and style. The second routine gives more freedom to choose your own jumps but it is still marked in the same way as the first.
The session ended with a warm-down to relax muscles and then all the equipment was tidied away. I really enjoyed the session and it was great to experience a sport I knew little about.
If you’re interested in Trampolining, see the website here . There are people of all standards, so anyone can get involved!
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